Crease-promoting device



Jan. 14, 1964 SHAY ETAL 3,117,889

GREASE-PROMOTING DEVICE Filed March 1962 wamra-iawem n INgENTORS RALPH HAY AND /0 A Row: MILLER ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,117,839 CREASE-PRSRifiTING DEVICE Ralph Shay, lvlcieanshoro, 1th, and Alexander Rowan Miller, Clayton, Mm, assignors to Elder Manufacturtug Company, St. Louis, Mo, a corporation of Missouri Filed Mas. 28, 1%2, Ser. No. 183,306 Claims. (Cl. 118211) This invention relates in general to garment production and, in particular, to a device for promoting creases in garment components.

With the advent, and consequent widespread usage, of synthetic fabrics for manufacture of various types of garments more familiarly known as of wash n wear variety, there has developed a severe production problem for effecting reliable creases in garment components such as, for instance, pockets, collars, cuffs, collar bands, etc. The time-honored means of creasing components fabricated of cottons and other textiles have proved ineffective with the synthetic materials. The application of heat alone has been found inadequate for such purpose, and the application of starch alone has been discovered to be quite unsatisiactor unless extremely substantial amounts thereof are utilized, and in such cases an undue heaviness is accorded the treated garment component so that upon presentation to a creasing machine the latter is prevented from proper operation. There has been attempted the expedient of utilizing paper as a wrapper for the garment component, such as a pocket, as it is creased, so that the cross would be held in place for the pocket setter. However, such papers are not sufficiently heavy to provide a set creas and the removal of the paper at the time of pocket setting is time-consuming and costly.

Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provi e a device for effectively adapting garment components fabricated of synthetic materials for receiving a welldefincd, retentive crease.

it is a further object of the present invention to provide a crease-promoting device for garment components which may be utilized in coniunction with conventional creasing machines without requiring any costly modification thereof.

lt is additional object of the present invention to provide a crease-promoting device for garment components which is adapte to apply starch to a limited, welldefined portion of the treated components and thus obviate the subjection or" the entire component to a starch spray as currc used; which is comprised of a simplicity of parts so that same is rendered resistant to breakdown; and which may be most economically fabricated.

it is a still further object of the present invention to vide a crease-promoting device which may be easily operated by relatively unskilled personnel and which operates in a reliable, consistently effective manner.

(Ether objects and deta of the invention will be apparent from the following description, when read in connec 'on y 'th the accompanying drawing wherein riGURE l is a perspective view of a crease-promoting evice constructed in accordance with and embodying the present invention.

FIGURE 2 is a top plan view taken along the line 2-2 of FlGURE l.

3 is a fragmentary side view of the male die.

.ical transverse sectional view taken on the line 5.5 of FiGURE 2.

FIGURE 6 is a horizontal transverse section taken on the line 66 of FluURE 2, illustrating the male die in operative position.

FIGURE 7 is a plan view of a shirt pocket illustrating the same subsequent to operation by the present invention.

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Referring now by reference characters to the drawing which illustrates the preferred embodiment of the present invention, A designates generally a crease-promoting device for use with garment components such as, for example only, pockets, cuffs, collars and collar bands of shirts, blouses, dresses, and like garments fabricated primarily of synthetic materials referred to popularly as wash n wear fabrics. Device A may be adapted, as will be apparent hereinbelow, for independent operation as through any suitable means whether for hand or power operation, but, for puropses of illustration only and as indicative of the applicability of the present invention to currentl used allied equipment, the same is disclosed as associated with a conventional creasing machine indicated broadly at B, with the necessary power being provided thereby.

Crease-promoting device A comprises cooperating male and female dies 1, 2, respectively, with the former being mounted on the underface of the end portion of an arm a secured to, and extending from, the so-called collapsible or top die element of creasing machine B for reciprocal vertical movement therewith, through its arc of travel. Male die 1 is, understandably, designed for the particular garment component to be treated by device A. in the present instance, for exemplary purposes only, male die 1 is shown as constructed for use with shirt pockets of a well-known configuration as depicted in FIGURE 7 and is thus a generally five-sided downwardly opening die having a base 4 suitably tapped for securement to arm 3 by screws; there being a pair of parallel depending side walls 5, 6 from said base which at their forward or outer ends are continuous with short end wall portions '7, 8, respectively, which are of like height as said side Walls 5, 6 and converge toward their opposite ends in V-shape formation for conformity to the pocket bottom. It will be noted that the rearward end of said die 1 is open.

Disposed downwardly of male die 1 is a horizontally presented rectangular support frame 9, being of angle shape in cross section, and engaged upon a mounting arm 10 forming a part, or an extension, of creasing mahine B.

Mounted upon support frame 9 is an upwardly opening, relatively shallow pan 11, preferably four-sided and fabricated of stainless steel or like material; there being provided across the top of said pan 11 toward one end thereof a flat closure plate 12, being secured as by screws upon a flange 13 projecting inwardly from the upper edge of pan 11. Closure plate 12 is disposed within the travel path of male die 1 and substantially centrally is cut to define female die 2, which, being cooperative with male die 1, comprises a narrow, slot-like opening conforming in extent and configuration to the depending walls or operating portions of male die 1 and being dimensioned for extension of same therethrough upon the downward stroke of male die 1. It will be noted that the penetration of female die 2 by male die 1 may be limited by abutment of the underface of base section 4 of male die 1 upon the upper face of closure plate 12, but as shown in FIGURE 6, penetration of female die 2 by male die 1 may be controlled by customary adjustment of the extent of the downward stroke of the latter, as it is requisite that such penetration be limited f r purp e appearing below.

Mounted upon the upper face of closure plate 12 in immediate adjacency to die 2 is a plurality of work guide or aligning members 15, 16 which provide stops against which edge portions of the work w, such as a shirt pocket, may be applied so that the latter is properly positioned coveringly of female die 2 for effective operation thereupon by male die 1.

Disposed within pan 11 and substantially filling the portion thereof beneath closure plate 12 is an absorbent member 17, such as a sponge. The remaining portion of pan ll, which is uncovered, serves as a reservoir for a supply of a starch solution, as indicated at 18, for maintaining the absorbent member 17 in a constantly saturated state. Applied upon the upper, die-confronting face of absorbent member 17 is a section of flexible material 17', as of felt, cloth or the like, for purposes presently appearing.

in operation, with power being suitably provided, as through creasing machine B, for reciprocal movement of male die 1, an operator will place a work piece w, being a garment component, such as a pocket for a shirt, indicated at 29 in FIGURE 7, constructed of a synthetic fabric, upon the upper face of closure plate 12 in overlying, corresponding relationship to female die 2 with the adjacent edge portion thereof abutting against work guides l, 16; it being noted that the work piece w is characteristically cut so that its marginal portions eX- tend beyond the line of opening of die 2. The operator will then cause male die 1 to be lowered for engaging those portions of work piece w overlying the opening of die 2 and driving same downwardly therethrongh so that the portion underlying the bottom edges of male die walls 5, 6, 7, and 8 will be brought into contact with the upper face of flexible material 17' which is disposed on starch-saturated absorbent member 17 (see FIGURE 6). The section of flexible material 17' thus serves to protect work piece w from being over saturated through direct contact with absorbent member 17. Male die 1 will then be returned upwardly, into inoperative position, and the operator will withdraw the thus-treated work piece w for presentation to creasing machine B. Work piece w as removed from device A will contain a narrow, defined, impregnated line of starching, as indicated at 21 in FIGURE 7, which expectedly follows the general contour of female die 2 and which, in effect, delineates the edges of the pocket as the same will appear after application upon a garment. Work piece w, or shirt pocket this instance, is thus adapted for being accorded a sharp, well-defined crease by operation of creasing machine B along the specific line of starching.

The amount of starching actually provided work piece w is manifestly limited and the area covered thereby is but a very small fraction or part of the entire component area, so that the work piece w is substantially untreated, as contradistinguished from currently starchsprayed components. By such limited application of starch, there is no danger of the starch running or flowing in other areas of the component.

The precise relationship of the various elements of device A is so uniquely contrived as to provide the req uisite, non-excessive degree of carefully placed starching for effecting a crease in synthetic fabrics. The following features should be particularly noted: the spacing between the upper face of absorbent member 17 and the underface of closure plate 12; the extent of penetration of male die 1 of female die 2; the relative thinness of the walls of male die 1; and the provision of sufficient margins on the work piece to allow of covering relationship to the bottom edges of male die 1. All of the foregoing features thus conduce in a most intimately interdependent manner to accomplishing the application of starch in a continuous narrow line of predetermined configuration and extent on work piece w.

The treated work piece is then presented to creasing machine B, which applies heat causing the liquid of the starch solution received by the work piece w to be evaporated, with the narrow line of starching coinciding with the formed crease.

As is apparent from the foregoing, the present invention may be easily utilized independently or as an adjunct to a creasing machine and may be used with both white and colored fabrics with equal facility.

It should be understood that changes and modifications in the formation, construction, arrangement, and combination of the several parts of the crease-promoting device may be made and substituted for these herein shown and described without departing from the nature and principle of my invention.

Having thus described our mvention, What we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A creasepromoting device for garment components comprising a male die having depending operating edges in conformance to the edge portions of the garment component to be treated, a plate disposed beneath said male die, said plate having an open-ing defining a female die, said female die opening being complementary to the operating edges of the male die, means for effecting a vert-ical reciprocal movement of said male die between lowered operative position wherein its operating edges extend through the female die opening and elevated inoperative position wherein it is in upwardly spaced relationship to said female die, an absorbent member provided beneath said female die opening and means for maint ining said absorbent member saturated with a predetermined garment component treating solution.

2. A crease-promoting device as defined in claim 1 wherein the operating edges of said male die are rela tively thin and wherein the upper face of the absorbent member is spaced from the under surface or" the female die-containing plate.

3. A crease-promoting device as defined in claim 1 wherein guide blocks are provided on the upper face of the closure plate adjacent the female die opening for assuring proper address of a garment component to the female die.

4. A crease-promoting device for use with garment components fabricated of synthetic materials comprising a male die having depending edge portions designed for conformity to the edge of the garment component to be treated, an upward opening receptacle disposed below said male die, a closure plate provided across a portion of the top of said receptacle, said plate having provided therein an opening defining a female die complementary to the operating edges of the male die, means for effecting vertical reciprocal movement of the male die between lowered operative position wherein the operating edges penetrate the female die opening and elevated inoperative posit-ion, guide members provided on said plate adjacent said female die opening for effecting proper address of a work piece to said female -ie, absorbent member disposed beneath said female die, and a supply of a garment component trea ing solution provided in said receptacle for maintaining said absorbent member in a saturated state.

5. A crease-promoting device for use with garment components fabricated or" synthetic materials as def in claim 4 and further characterized by the upper face of said absorbent member being spacedly belotv said receptacle plate and the operating edges of said male die being relatively thin.

References @ited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATEN;S 

1. A CREASE-PROMOTING DEVICE FOR GARMENT COMPONENTS COMPRISING A MALE DIE HAVING DEPENDING OPERATING EDGES IN CONFORMANCE TO THE EDGE PORTIONS OF THE GARMENT COMPONENT TO BE TREATED, A PLATE DISPOSED BENEATH SAID MALE DIE, SAID PLATE HAVING AN OPENING DEFINING A FEMALE DIE, SAID FEMALE DIE OPENING BEING COMPLEMENTARY TO THE OPERATING EDGES OF THE MALE DIE, MEANS FOR EFFECTING A VERTICAL RECIPROCAL MOVEMENT OF SAID MALE DIE BETWEEN LOWERED OPERATIVE POSITION WHEREIN ITS OPERATING EDGES EXTEND THROUGH THE FEMALE DIE OPENING AND ELEVATED INOPERATIVE POSITION WHEREIN IT IS IN UPWARDLY SPACED RELATIONSHIP TO SAID FEMALE DIE, AN ABSORBENT MEMBER PROVIDED BENEATH SAID FEMALE DIE OPENING AND MEANS FOR MAINTAINING SAID ABSORBENT MEMBER SATURATED WITH A PREDETERMINED GARMENT COMPONENT TREATING SOLUTION. 